help w/synastry...please??

so, i've been looking at synastry charts recently...i seem to have no trouble assimilating composite charts, but synastry charts throw me for a loop...anyone else have this problem??

composites seem so much easier b/c really it's like looking at a natal, just calculating that it's for a relationship, not a person...

so, what are big factors i should be looking at in synastry? should there be a particular place to start? if i were to look for just one or two things, what should i look for? help?? please?? i'm just all sorts of confuzzled w/these things...

i mean, i get it, but i don't get it...so, yeah...confuzzled! lol...

anyone care to offer some insight?

much love,

~azure

Opposites attract -- sort of.

This is all very simple, it can be covered in 8 or 10 books and two years of study -- or, we can hit a few highlights.
*** PAIRS. A primary pair to observe is Sun and Moon. When we look at these two we have to also keep in mind the ASC and (sometimes) MC angles. First, do the Sun, Moon, Asc and MC interact between charts? As an example, my Asc conjuncts my wife's Moon. A very close friend has her Moon square my Moon and her Sun on my IC. My son has his Moon on my MC. The male and female energies often feed into each other directly or through the angles --- where one is expected to act out or live up to the other's "planetary" energy.
*** Venus and Mars can interact strongly as well, especially in defining attraction. Love or lust often seems to need more than just a single contact between Venus and Mars. Sun-Mercury contacts or Venus-Mercury contacts do well in supporting a Venus Mars relationship. Of course, we all have seen a progressing Sun hitting Venus (or vice versa) signifying a marriage (me, and many others), so any contact between these two is strong.
*** Look at each natal chart to see if something is missing. Some times someone who is dreamy or unorganized will link up with someone having strong Saturn-Mercury contacts with their own chart, or Saturn on one of their angles. Place the other's Saturn in a chart to see how it work rather than their own Saturn. IN FACT, this simple exercise is at the heart of synastry! You essentially place the significant-other's planets and angles into your chart, one by one, to see if they work better than your own. If they do, closely aspected or angular, than you have the basis for an "attraction." Then, the only question is, "Is that the type of attraction you are looking for." Write if you have more questions. Dave. PS, there are also "transits" that can bring temporary attractions or which can reinforce attractions.

ah, i knew i could count on you, dads!!
i know i have alot of studying to do and such, but thank you for the heads up on stuff to look for...

i took a look at the synastry charts between me and my children and found some interesting aspects according to the information you gave me...

i also checked the synastry between myself and my friend (the one where my AC was on his MC)...not counting those two angles and just looking at the sun, moon, venus, mars and mercury in our charts i found about 7 aspects (and that was just a quick glance)...so i guess that explains a whole helluva lot, eh?

as for questions, i have lots!! LOL...but i don't want to burden you with them (though i may come back w/a few if that's ok...i wanna see if i can figure all this out first)...i do want to ask you one thing:

This is all very simple, it can be covered in 8 or 10 books and two years of study -- or, we can hit a few highlights.

Click to expand...

wanna give me a list of those books?? i tend to learn by practice, but i wouldn't mind some additional reading material to back up my findings, heh...

thanks again for your help, as always, i appreciate it greatly!

much love,

~azure

Just to add a little to what Dave said above (which is excellent):

I do the natals for both parties first. This gives you a feel for the people concerned. I'll also compare the element balance as well.

In terms of sysnastry, much depends on what type of relationship you are looking at - parent/child, employer/employee will have different characteristics than lovers, and also long term relationships will differ from short term relationships - for example the chart might point to a wonderful two to three months but little after, marriage requires more than just sexual compatibility.

I use the houses, so I'll look at say the fifth and its rulers for romantic relationships and compare aspects between the two rulers to the personal planets both within each chart and between the charts. It helps here if your computer program can produce bi-wheel charts.

It's a long and painstaking process but done properly it can be very rewarding.

Books. ???

Sorry about this, but I threw away about 200 or 300 books on astrology awhile back. Even some of my Evangiline Adams books from the early 1900's. They were taking up to much room and I found that very few of them were ever used as a reference by me. So now, I'm flying on mostly experience and my own discoveries, simplifying as I go, and having a ball throwing out old stuff that was repeated in book after book -- and proved to be mostly worthless. There really is a lot of crap out there, even from well known authors. Astrology, like life, is not a spectator sport. You might be able to learn 90% of all you ever need from 20 or so charts IF you really dig into them and play with them. Dave.

Minderwiz, thanks for the addtl. info! i always look at the natals first, seems the logical place to start, eh? but yeah, wasn't sure how to assimilate all the info in the synastry...thanks for the help!

shame i didn't know you when you were chucking those books, dave...ah well...such is life...and i'm currently collecting charts, so i'll let you know how i'm doing...in a year or two hehe...

much love,

~azure

Azure,


Good luck with your attempts. A reasonable, if rather cookbook style, book is The Astrology of Human Relationships by Sakoian and Acker. There is also one by M. E. Colman, which originally was called Astro-pick Your Perfect Partner but despite the title was actually quite good. I believe it has now been republished under a more modest title.

just to add.... it's important to understand synastry before looking at the composite chart. Two ppl w/very good compatibility in terms of synastry may have a very challenging composite chart or vice versa. Good luck w/the synastry Azure! (and pls do tell us when you figure out what's up with the conjs w/ASC, DC, IC and MC that you mentioned in an earlier thread.)